I’m a contemporary dance-artist based in Manchester, UK.  I make dances, perform, teach and work as a somatic movement therapist.

Looking back, my pathway or transition into the professional field of dance seems to have involved doing a lot of different things at once while following hunches.  It was both a passionate and hectic time. 

During my training, I met a choreographer named Ruth Segalis and a dancer named Natasha Gilmore.  I loved the craft and wit of Ruth’s work and wanted to explore collaborating with her as a dancer, so one day I told her so and she invited me to be in her next work.  Thus (with Ruth and Tasha) began an intense and winding journey as a contemporary dance company called Rose’s Thoughts.  We stayed together for seven years.

I have always had a passion for teaching / facilitation so early on I ended up doing a lot of freelance teaching work (after school clubs and the like) in secondary schools.  Since the beginning, teaching has been a staple throughout my professional life.

There were a lot of ups and downs during the first few years.  I remember sometimes feeling like an imposter.  I considered changing professions.  Being an emerging artist can be very uncomfortable. 

The advice I would give to myself then is similar to the advice I would give to myself (and artists entering the profession) now:

Know what you care about and experiment with ways to express that care.

Cultivate meaningful connections with people and places.

What you value in your work may or may not intersect with what programmers and funders value.  Persist with your practice.

Take time to process mistakes and misadventures.

Trust the creative process.

Know when to slow down.

Subvert the system with invention.